THANKSGIVING PREP

The man needs no introduction but in case you have been living in a culinary hole for the past decade, that's John Besh, chef extraordinaire! He was recently featured in Country Living magazine and shared some family recipes with readers. They all sounded delicious but there were 2 in particular I'm excited to make and try for Thanksgiving this year. I thought I'd share them (below) so if you need an extra side dish or 2 for Thanksgiving, it's your lucky day.  What is great about these 2 recipes is they cook at the same oven temperature (425 degrees) for almost the same amount of time (30 minutes vs. 35 minutes) and seem easy peasy to throw together.  Enjoy :)

Olive Oil Roasted Cauliflower Recipe

Serves 12
Prep Time: 5 min
Cook Time: 35 min
Oven Temp: 425

Ingredients
· 2 head(s) cauliflower, cut into florets
· 1/4 cup(s) olive oil
· 2 clove(s) garlic, sliced
· Salt
· Freshly ground pepper

Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. In a large bowl, toss cauliflower, oil, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and toss to coat once more. Transfer cauliflower to a large baking sheet and roast until golden brown, 25 to 35 minutes, tossing halfway through.

Sweet Corn Pudding Recipe

Serves 12
Prep Time: 30 min
Cook Time: 30 min
Oven Temp: 425

Ingredients
· 1 stick(s) unsalted butter
· 1 medium onion, chopped
· 2 clove(s) garlic , sliced
· 12 ear(s) (about 9 cups) corn, kernels cut off the cob, or 3 (12 ounces each) frozen bags
· 1/4 cup(s) all-purpose flour
· 1 quart(s) heavy cream
· 1 cup(s) (about 6 tablespoons uncooked) cooked grits
· 3 tablespoon(s) minced canned jalapeno or chile peppers
· Salt
· Freshly ground pepper
· 9 eggs, beaten
· 1 cup(s) (about 4 ounces) shredded white cheddar

Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. In a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat, melt butter. Add onion and garlic and cook for 3 minutes. Add corn and cook, stirring, for 3 to 5 minutes more. Add flour and stir for 1 minute, then stir in cream. Continue to stir until mixture comes to a boil, about 15 minutes. Add cooked grits and remove pot from heat. Stir in jalapenos and season with salt and pepper. With a handheld immersion blender in pot, puree corn mixture while slowly adding eggs until thoroughly incorporated. Pour mixture into a 9- by 13-inch baking dish and sprinkle with cheese. Bake until center puffs and top turns golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes.

I'm thinking this will end up being my menu for Turkey Day...

Turkey
Honey Baked Ham
Mashed Potatoes
Gravy
Olive Oil Roasted Cauliflower (John Besh recipe)
Sweet Corn Pudding (John Besh recipe)
Bread/Rolls
Stuffing

Marshmallow Coconut Fruit Salad
Green Bean Casserole

Stuffed Zucchini
Pumpkin Cheesecake
Apple-n-Praline Pie

Chocolate Wafer Cake

I'm getting hungry just thinking about it!